Pottsville reconsiders police salaries, and water system's $65,000 shortfallPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville City Council engaged in long discussions of police salaries and water rates during its monthly meeting Monday. However, action on both topics was largely deferred. Police Chief Robert Dowling presented a proposal for an increase to a $13.75 hourly wage for starting officers, saying the present base rate of $11 an hour did not allow the department to “attract and retain first-class officers” and the current rate was ...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Dardanelle looks for water tank solutionDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council called a special meeting Tuesday to discuss water levels of the city’s tanks. The city has had issues keeping one tank in particular (off Dardanelle Dam Road, in the rock) full. Bill Smith, the city’s water manager, said the tank has the ability to hold one million gallons, but the city has only been able to fill it to the 700,000 gallon mark, leaving them short approximately 300,000 gallons. “We sat do...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Atkins water, sewer rates to increaseATKINS — The Atkins City Council called a special meeting Tuesday to approve water and sewer rate increases that will begin July 1. According to Mayor Jerry Don Barrett, water and sewer customers will see an $8 total increase on their bill — a $4 water rate increase to go along with a $4 sewer rate increase. Next July, and every July to follow for the next five years, a customer’s bill will go up 5 percent each year. “We needed to do something...

Dover takes on storm drain problemsDOVER — Jeremy Stone of Civil Engineering Associates, contracted as Dover city engineer, spoke to the City Council during its March 15 meeting about drainage issues and progress toward construction of a city sewage treatment plant. After a tour with Mayor Pat Johnson to observe some trouble spots, Stone said there were various approaches which could improve drainage problems in the Maple and Ozarka Street area affecting property owned by Jerry...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Committee recommends $10,000 to uphold animal ordinanceA special meeting was called by the Pope County Vicious and Uncontrolled Animals Committee Monday to discuss an appropriation request and to invite a guest speaker for the Quorum Court meeting in April. The transfer of $10,000 from the general fund to the animal welfare fund was voted on and sent to the Budget Committee to be placed on their agenda. From the Budget Committee, the item will be sent to the Quorum Court as an ordinance to be appr...

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BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Cans at curbs still an issue with Alderman The Russellville City Council got into plenty of trash talk after it approved the first reading of an ordinance that would make folks pick up their trash cans after their trash day. Thursday inside City Hall, the first reading of an ordinance that would amend Ordinance 2052 by title only with a short description was approved 4-3. Aldermen Bill Eaton, Larry Brown and Garland Steuber voted against, while Freddie Harris, Richard Harris, Eric West...

2015 fire linked to city investigationThe Russellville City Council launched a special investigation on Feb. 26 into internal issues involving the Russellville Fire Department that resulted in interviews with the department’s 55 employees. These interviews, conducted by Human Resource Director Tanessa Vaughn, are still ongoing, as is the investigation as a whole. “I think the potential is there for a lawsuit,” City Attorney Trey Smith said, citing possible legal action as his prim...

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Travis Simpson and Ryan SmithThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

$125-$175 a tow: Alderman struggle with wrecker ordinanceThe Russellville City Council eventually tabled the third reading of an ordinance that would regulate participation in a city wrecker service after a lot of discussion Thursday. Police Chief Jeff Humphrey said he thought some outstanding items had been pretty much worked out, except for the fees on non-consent towing. Aldermen Garland Steuber and Richard Harris said they wanted to look at the price differences in the towing rates, which range ...

City Corp. approves contract with Texas firm for nearly 3 million City Corporation’s Board of Directors approved a construction contract with Horseshoe Construction in the amount of $2,768,130 during its regular meeting Tuesday at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). General Manager Steve Mallett said the contract was for work on wastewater Basins 7 and 14. Horseshoe Construction of La Porte, Texas, was the low bidder. $2.2 million was allocated in the 2015 Bond Issue for improvements in these basins. Due ...

Time running out: council says PPP will be cited“Something must be done” about the odor that has come from Premium Protein Products (PPP), the Russellville City Council agreed during its regular meeting Thursday. “It was so bad out there today, you couldn’t hardly stand it,” Alderman Robert Wiley said. “Today was horrible,” Freddie Harris agreed. “My patience on this is getting short. If they work 24/7, they should get something done.” The manager of the plant was invited and accepted an in...

Pottsville mulls $4 water, $4 sewer rate increasesPOTTSVILLE — It is a sign of the times. Water and sewer pipes, treatment plants, equipment — all need to be replaced after so many decades. New technology, including the installation of an entire community’s water meters, has also been a topic throughout the Arkansas River Valley. Pottsville Mayor Jerry Williams said Wednesday his community has not voted on a water and sewer increase yet, but expects the decision to be made at the City Council...

Aquatic center price down to $6.6 millionThe Pool Committee for the Russellville Aquatic Center made about $78,000 worth of cuts during a meeting Tuesday, probably will shave off an additional $63,000 in a meeting Thursday and got the guaranteed maximum price down to $6,635,824, including an 11 percent architectural fee but not a contingency fee. Before the meeting started at City Hall, Chad Weisler of Van Horn Construction Inc. informed aldermen and city officials that first GMP of ...

Atkins considers water rate increaseATKINS — The Atkins City Council heard from an accountant from Jones, Rose and Lawton about an increase in water and sewer rates during its regular meeting March 8. Mayor Jerry Don Barrett said a special meeting has been called for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 to make a decision on how much the rate increase will cost customers. “We have to have one, as bad as I hate it,” the mayor said. Barrett said Bill Lawton presented a package of facts and fi...

Clarksville director meets with Dover housing boardDOVER — The Board of Commissioners of the Dover Housing Authority met Thursday with Metta Holman, executive director of the Clarksville Housing Authority. Holman assumed jurisdiction over the Dover facility late last year as part of a management agreement entered into by the city of Dover with Clarksville. Holman reported on numerous steps that had been taken toward correcting deficiencies in the management of the Dover authority. She reported...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Aquatic center funds $600,000 shortIt was absolutely not the news the Russellville City Council wanted Friday before lunch. Tensions rose during a special called meeting when a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $6.3 million was offered by the construction manager for the Aquatic Center project. The problem is, when the 11 percent fee to be paid to ETC Engineers & Architects Inc. of Little Rock is added to the hard bid cost provided by Van Horn Construction Inc., the total reach...

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Sean Ingram and BY PATRICIA SPEARS pspears@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Almost official: Counting provisional votesThe Election Commission met Wednesday to count the provisional votes, which will be authorized at the court house today. Members of the Election Commission are Freddie Harris, commissioner; Portia Short, chairman of Election Commission; Vickie Newman, Democrat; and Jean Hemmer, Republican. Short mentioned that election commission members only conduct elections, they do not have the authority to approve or disapprove voters. That is done at the...

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THE COURIER / Patricia SpearsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Main Street wants $26,000 to update Master Plan, cites progress downtown John Harris told the Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee on Tuesday that the Main Street Russellville Board of Directors was considering an update to its master plan, a plan within the city’s comprehensive master plan. According to Harris, the Main Street Master Plan was approved in 2012 by the Walker Collaborative at a cost of about $80,000. The two-page matrix is a comprehensive downtown plan, but does address specifics that are no...

They're on wheels: Alderman Wiley wants to discuss cans at the curbThe Russellville City Council will consider an ordinance that will amend the current Solid Waste Ordinance pertaining to the placement of trash/recycle cans after pickup days. Alderman Robert Wiley said that he has taken several phone calls from residents voicing concerns about their neighbors or people down the street who do not pick up their trash or recycle cans the day, or any time, after Waste Management picks up trash and recyclables. “S...

Still smells, council invites PPP to next meetingThe Russellville City Council will extend an invitation to the owners and managers of Premium Protein Products (PPP) to answer some questions during the council’s March 17 meeting. During Tuesday’s Finance Committee and Agenda Prep meetings at City Hall, Alderwoman Freddie Harris said she felt the city wasted a lot of money over the last six months with the purchase of an olfactory meter and training city employees. “I had Mr. (Bill) Clark com...

Aquatic Center bids being reviewed prior to Friday meetingThe construction manager for the Aquatic Center opened bids from contractors Tuesday who submitted their figures with hopes they would be chosen to work on the project. Chad Weisler of Van Horn Construction needed 45 minutes to read the bids from 31 categories, ranging from site work to electrical and communications. Several contractors attended the meeting at City Hall and listened to the various figures. Weisler told the Russellville City Co...